The University of Arizona continues to build ties in Arizona State's prime recruiting ground.
The Wildcats made an offer this week to
Chandler two-way lineman
Zack Hemmila (6 feet-3, 280 pounds), a junior who figures to garner more interest on the offensive side of the ball as a tackle or guard.
"He's really a unique kid," Chandler coach Jim Ewan said of his best lineman. "He doesn't get as much time in the weight room in the spring as I'd like because he plays defense on our lacrosse team. But the plus in that is that he's in great shape and runs really well for a big kid."
Not that Hemmila lacks strength. Ewan said his body was a little soft when he started as a sophomore but "it's really starting to change. If he grows another inch or so I think colleges will put him at tackle because of his quick footwork and his ability to pick up guys off the edge."
Hemmila also has offers from Arizona State and Oregon State, where he attended a camp this summer.
"His dream school is Ohio State because he was born and raised in Ohio," Ewan said. "But Ohio State doesn't usually get this far out in its recruiting and I'm hoping to push him to stay in-state. We've got to start having the best kids stay in Arizona."
TOP 5 STORYLINES FROM THE WEEK1. Three’s company? The Class 5A Division I football picture became a lot clearer last weekend – and sunnier if you live in the city of Chandler. The smoke-clearing started with a 21-17 win for
Basha (Chandler) over
Mountain Pointe (Phoenix), which ended Pride coach Norris Vaughan's 45-game regular season winning streak and exacted revenge for Mountain Pointe's 22-21, triple-overtime win over Basha in last year's state quarterfinals. It continued with sleeper-team
Westwood (Mesa) winning 26-21 in come-from-behind fashion over last year's state finalist
Mesa. And it finished with the biggest shocker of all, as unranked and lowly regarded
St. Mary's (Phoenix) won 16-13 over
Brophy College Prep (Phoenix), thought to be one of two or three teams capable of ending Chandler Hamilton's 5A-I reign. When the night ended, several contenders had been exposed while one city stood head and shoulders above the rest. If we had to rank the top 5 5A-I teams today it would look like this: 1. Hamilton, 2. Chandler, 3. Basha, 4. Red Mountain (Mesa), 5. Mountain Pointe.
2. Xavier wins Westwood Tournament of Champions: Football wasn't the only sport to offer up great games last weekend. In the season's most prestigious volleyball event, it was a familiar club doing the dancing. Three-time defending Class 5A Division I state champ
Xavier College Prep (Phoenix) rallied in the final game to top
Sunnyslope (Phoenix), the two-time Class 4A Division I defending volleyball champion. Sunnyslope was two points from victory before Xavier closed the door in a 23-25, 25-20, 15-13 victory to win the gold bracket of this long-running event. Junior outside hitter
Katarina Schulz led Xavier with 12 kills while junior
Bianca Arellano contributed nine kills while also handling the setting duties. Senior outside hitter
Madison Kingdon recorded a match-high 15 kills, including eight in the second game, for Sunnyslope.
3. Hall in the crosshairs: Desert Edge (Goodyear) senior Tyler Messerschmidt has his sights set on what was once thought to be an unattainable record: Olympic gold medalist Gary Hall Jr.'s 43.85-second 100 freestyle time set in 1994 at Brophy. Saturday, at the Wolf Classic in Chandler, Messerschmidt swam the fastest 200-yard freestyle in Arizona prep history (1 minute, 37.46 seconds). That bettered his state record of 1:38.00 set last year at the Class 4A Division II meet. Messerschmidt, who is 6-foot-7, also won the 100 Saturday with a time of 44.36 seconds, and won the event at state last year in 45.07. Chandler is considered a fast pool due to its state-of-the art technology, but Messerschmidt is accomplishing his feats without the now-outlawed full-body suit that allowed swimmers to swim faster times all over the state.
4. Cactus marches on: Peoria stunned rival
Cactus (Glendale) in the first quarter when
Cabel Gillispie connected with
Nathan Evans for a 55-yard touchdown pass and a 10-0 lead. But the defending 4A-II champs slowly turned the tide, getting a
Brody Riggs 27-yard score to end the first half tied 10-10. Peoria got nothing offensively the rest of the night, as the Cobras defense stopped the Panthers for zero or negative yards 13 times, including three sacks. Two forced fumbles also led to Cactus' 10 points in the second half and a 20-10 win.
5. 3A epic: There were four touchdowns in the final period, four scores that totaled 29 yards or more, huge momentum shifts and a two-point conversion call on which receiver
Colton Merrill barely got his feet in bounds in the back of the end zone for the win. Those details were the tip of the iceberg in a 36-35 win for
Round Valley (Eagar) at
Florence in a battle of 3A heavyweights. Rematch? We’d sure like to see one.
THE FAB FIVE1.
Parker Rasmussen, Jr., QB,
Desert Ridge (Mesa): The transfer from Highland (Gilbert) completed 14 of 23 passes for 317 yards and six touchdowns in a rout of Corona del Sol (Tempe). Rasmussen also had a rushing touchdown. Rasmussen keeps getting better, week after week.
2.
Deshaun Davis, Jr., LB, Florence: Had six tackles (four for loss) and two sacks in a heart-stopping, 36-35 loss to Round Valley (Eagar).
3.
Cedric Simmons, Sr., RB,
Perry (Gilbert): 32 rushes for 259 yards and three touchdowns as the Pumas improved to 3-0 with a 27-21 win over Buena (Sierra Vista).
4.
Teddy Ruben, Sr., QB,
Saguaro (Scottsdale): Ruben was 12 of 15 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns passing. He also carried the ball 12 times for 204 yards and three more TDs in a win over Sunnyslope (Phoenix).
5.
Matt Munsil, Fr., WR,
Scottsdale Prep: Had 14 catches for 341 yards and 6 touchdowns in a win over Glendale Prep.
5 GAMES TO WATCH5A-I —
Desert Vista (Phoenix) at Mountain Pointe (Phoenix), Thursday, 7 p.m.: In the annual Ahwatukee Bowl on Thursday due to Yom Kippur, Mountain Pointe tries to rebound from its first regular-season loss under coach Norris Vaughan while Desert Vista tries to prove that its 2-0 start isn't a mirage built on lesser opponents.
5A Non-region: No. 2 (5A-I)
Mesquite (Gilbert) at No. 1 (5A-II)
Chaparral (Scottsdale), Thursday, 7 p.m.: The host Firebirds have outclassed three opponents but the Wildcats may be their biggest test. Mesquite still has issues on offense, but its defense has been staunch, allowing 55 points in three 5A-I games.
4A-I: No. 3 Saguaro at No. 10 Peoria, Friday, 7 p.m.: No rest for the weary. Peoria, fresh off a tough loss to defending 4A-II champ Cactus, hosts the Sabercats, considered the No. 1 contender to Canyon del Oro's (Oro Valley) 4A-I throne.
3A: No. 5 Florence at No. 4
Fountain Hills, Friday, 7 p.m.: No rest for the weary, part II. One week after a heart-wrenching, 36-35 loss to No. 2 Round Valley, Florence travels to Fountain Hills, which has shut out its first three opponents.
2A: No. 3 Scottsdale Christian at No. 4
Valley Christian (Chandler), Friday, 7 p.m.: Arguably the top two teams in the conference square off in what could easily be a title-game preview.
CRAIG’S CRANIUMThe first 0-2 start since 1992 at
Mountain View (Mesa) has led to teeth gnashing at the erstwhile powerhouse which still owns more Arizona Interscholastic Association sanctioned state titles than any other 5A program.
When Chaparral (Scottsdale) shut out the Toros, 30-0, Friday at Mountain View, it led to a sight unseen in these parts — scores of Mountain View fans streaming out of the stadium long before the game had ended. Toro fans have always been known for their great support, so the mass exodus spoke volumes about the direction Tom Joseph's program is headed.
Joseph has told several reporters that the talent and depth are not what they used to be at the east Mesa school. The changing face of high school football has also played a role. While schools such as Chaparral and Chandler Hamilton regularly get transfers, Mountain View does not. The Toros go to war with the kids from the neighborhood — a holdover from a more innocent age of prep athletics.
But while Joseph's claims certainly hold water, let's not forget that Mountain View still has the third highest enrollment figure in the state (3,451 kids, according to AIA statistics). Maybe the Toros are in a down cycle for talent, but in past years coaches Jesse Parker and Bernie Busken took smallish kids and molded them into winners — a Toro tradition.
Joseph is certainly facing longer odds due to all the changes in the state, but the Toros still have a lot more advantages than most 5A programs.
Craig Morgan is a freelance writer who has covered professional, college and high school sports in the Phoenix area for the past 18 years. He currently serves as the Phoenix correspondent for CBSSports.com, covering the Arizona Cardinals and other local teams. He also writes a weekly column and other features for The Arizona Republic. You can reach him at craig@wordsmithonline.com.
